6 Former Arsenal Players Who Should Be Considered As Arsene Wenger's Potential Successor

Following Sunday's 2-1 away defeat to Brighton, Arsenal's fourth consecutive loss for the first time since 2002, Arsene Wenger's 22-year reign as Gunners manager looks to be coming to an ugly end. The Frenchman's only string of hope appears to weigh on Europa League success but, even then, the masses seemed to have turned against Wenger and the club as a whole. The big decision as to who will replace Wenger - should he leave the Emirates - will be up to the heavily criticised Arsenal...

Mikel Arteta

Another former Arsenal player with Manchester City links, Mikel Arteta is said to be Arsene Wenger's own preferred choice to replace him at the Emirates should he decide to leave.

Arteta joined Arsenal from Everton in 2011 and went on to make 110 appearances for the north London club until he retired in 2016. The Spaniard's only taste of coaching experience has come at the Etihad where he was appointed as City's joint assistant coach by Pep Guardiola in 2016.

His coaching exploits with the Citizens has apparently caught the attention of the Arsenal hierarchy. The Gunners will face stiff competition from another of Arteta's former clubs should they try to reel him in, however, with Everton also thought to be keen.

Arsenal players, on the other hand, are reportedly unhappy with the idea of being managed by one of their former team-mates who they see as being arrogant.

Patrick Vieira

Vieira was Arsenal's captain the last time that the Gunners managed to lift the Premier League trophy back in 2005.

The Frenchman's first taste of coaching came six years later, when he accepted a training and youth development role at Manchester City. Two years later, he was announced as the club's new reserve team and Elite Development Squad manager.

In 2015, Vieira took up his first senior managerial appointment, when he was unveiled as New York City's coach. In his first season with the MLS club, the Arsenal legend secured a 2nd-placed finish, before they were knocked out in the play-off semi-finals against Columbus Crew.

Thierry Henry

The Frenchman, who made 254 appearances for Arsenal between 1999-2007 and scored a club record 228 goals, was appointed by Roberto Martinez as the assistant manager of the Belgium national team in 2016.

After losing his first game as assistant boss, Henry has since helped Les Diables go on a 15-match unbeaten streak, in which they have won 11 and drawn four.

Having recently secured his UEFA Pro Licence, the Gunners legend may be looking to secure a head coach position. Henry has also previously admitted that, should Arsenal come calling, he wouldn't turn down the opportunity to manage his former club, saying: "If you love a place and they ask - I repeat, they ask - for help, you are always going to say yes."

If he were to get the job, Henry will be hoping to make a more successful managerial debut than fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst

Van Bronckhorst may not be as fondly remembered by Arsenal fans as the other potential replacements, but the Dutchman boasts arguably the most impressive managerial CV out of the lot.

Bronckhorst only made 42 appearances for the Gunners when he joined from Rangers in 2001 before he left for Barcelona two years later. After retiring in 2010, the former midfielder spent a brief period as the Netherlands U21 assistant manager before he was appointed as Feynoord's assistant manager under Ronald Koeman in 2011.

In 201, Van Bronckhorst was unveiled as Feynoord's new manager following the departure of Fred Rutten. In his first full season as boss, he managed to win the KNVB Cup after the club defeated Utrecht 2-1 in the final. A year later, Van Bronckhorst went one better and won the Eredivisie title - Feyenoord's first in 18 years.

This season, the club has endured a slump and currently sit in 5th place in the Eredivisie table.

Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp enjoyed an illustrious 11-year career with Arsenal when he joined from Inter in 1995. The Dutchman racked up an impressive total of 423 appearances and scored 120 goals for the Gunners before he retired in 2006.

Upon retiring, Bergkamp rejected a number of positions at Arsenal and insisted that he had no intentions of going into coaching. In 2008, however, the former striker began a fast-track coaching diploma available only to former Dutch international footballers.

Having completed the diploma in 2009, he took charge of Ajax's U12 team before he was then promoted to assistant manager of the U19 team in 2010. A year later and Bergkamp was unveiled as De Boer's assistant manager of the first team.

Bergkamp was later sacked along with manager Marcel Keizer and fellow assistant Hennie Spijkerman in 2017 after they failed to reach the Champions League and Europa League via the preliminary rounds.

The 'Non-Flying Dutchman' is still a big hit at the Emirates, where he was honoured in 2014 with the creation of a statue outside the Clock End. Nevertheless, with his limited managerial experience, Bergkamp is probably low down on the Arsenal hierarchy's wish list.

Sol Campbell

Sol Campbell made the short but brave move from Tottenham to Arsenal in 2001. The central defender went on to make 135 appearances for the Gunners before his move to Pompey in 2006.

Despite having "one of the greatest minds in football," Campbell, who carries out ambassadorial work for Arsenal, has struggled to secure a senior managerial position since his retirement in 2012. A course with the Welsh FA earned the ex-Gunner a UEFA Pro License in 2017 before he accepted an invitation to become Trinidad & Tobago's assistant coach.

Campbell has frequently applied for managerial positions in England but has been consistently turned down, most recently by League One side Oxford United in February.

That probably won't stop him from putting his name forward should Arsene Wenger leave Arsenal, but the chances of him becoming the next manager are probably close to null.